Royalty and Clocks
by stephthewriter2
Summary: Queen Rosalina was very compassionate with Basil of Baker Street after he saved her life that time from Ratigan. To have more gratitude towards him, she offers Basil to ride her on a dirigible in the sky. It could've gone well for both the queen and the detective but unfortunately there has been an accident. It's up to Basil to save the day for both him and the queen.


Royalty and Clocks

What a lovely night," she thought. The whistling of the wind is passing through her tan fur and her eyes were closed; the Queen of Mousedom was enjoying the night.

She was in the sky inside a dirigible. Above her was the paneling and underneath were the gears. It was her request to fly someday. Thanks to her guards, there was such a thing to fly. Because there weren't planes in the Victorian Era, there were inventors who built a dirigible, only for Queen Rosaline. She didn't want mechanics who had to fly it, the Queen wanted the famous mouse detective with her.

It was just last week that he saved her life from the evil Professor Ratigan such as her kingdom. Queen Rosaline owed a lot to him. Not only did she thank Basil of Baker Street, she also wanted to enjoy a night with him. So it was him who was flying the dirigible.

Basil was under the invention and was taught how to fly it. He not only had to pedal but to also control the levers of the dirigible. He was pedaling, indeed, but he also pulled a lever to keep the contraption up high.

"Confound thing!" he mumbled while pulling a lever. It wasn't an easy job for him; Basil actually hated the thought. He didn't agree with the compromise before but he was persuaded to do so from Queen Rosaline.

(Or Rosie what he nicknamed her)

He was forced to do this. If Basil was up with the Queen he could've enjoyed the breezy air along with her but he already had his time up in the sky before. It still gave him the chills remembering his battle against Ratigan, even if he was a fearless mouse.

"This is just lovely," said Queen Rosaline to herself. "Isn't it Basil?"

"Yes," Basil called back. "Indeed." He spoke the last word sarcastically.

"I wouldn't wish to be anywhere else but here. With the moon close by and the many clouds and the wind, such a gorgeous night." Basil groaned under his breath.

Out of frustration Basil pulled another lever, not knowing that one of the gears inside the dirigible became loose. Queen Rosaline felt the dirigible shake but she ignored that. She just held her head up and let the wind blast onto her neck.

They've been up in the sky for almost half an hour and were getting close to Big Ben. The queen didn't see it but Basil did. If the night was raining it would be just like his fight last week.

 _He was able to keep Ratigan at bay while he rushed to save Olivia from a rotating wheel and was close to giving her back to her father but Basil wasn't able to watch the father and daughter reunite. He was busy keeping his distance away from the mad rat who nearly killed him. Basil was lucky enough to be smart and save himself from his near-death experience._

It was the cool wind against his big ears is what got Basil back to reality. The dirigible was falling that Basil quickly pedaled and pulled the lever that was above him and the dirigible was back in place.

They weren't that close to Big Ben but far enough to keep Basil away from it, he wouldn't have to relive the curse of the clock again, or so he thought. It was hard for him to picture the Queen with her eyes closed and content, Basil had to focus.

" _There's no escape this time Basil!"_

He held the long bar to keep his pedaling straight but pulled another lever to turn the dirigible to the left. He didn't dare go straight to the giant clock.

 _There was the inflicting punch on the side of his face and landing on the hour hand._

The dirigible was turning to the left now but something wasn't right while it was turning. Basil had a feeling that something was loose from inside the dirigible because the pulley of the lever wasn't turning well. It was leaning to the other side.

"What is going on?" he wondered.

Basil kept pulling and pulling the right lever but it wasn't cooperating. The dirigible was leaning against the right when it should be upright and turning left.

"What is going on Mr. Basil!" yelled the Queen. She was holding the left railing while the dirigible was leaning to the opposite. "Fix this!"

"I'm trying!" Basil yelled back angrily.

He kept pulling more levers such as the left lever and the one above him. Those were intact but just not the right. So Basil tried to turn the dirigible to the right. He pulled the left lever and that finally got the dirigible to move. The device turned to the right instead.

It was inside the gears of the dirigible that the gears to the right were broken. The one gear was very loose and the pulley was still being pulled down. Basil tried to fix the invention by pulling and pulling the right lever but still nothing happened. While he continued to pedal, even though his legs were getting tired, the dirigible was still leaning to the right.

Because Basil didn't have his hands on the bar he kept pulling the right lever to get it to fix.

"What in the world is going on?!" he yelled again. "Come on!"

Even the Queen was frustrated, but not only angry, she was confused. The dirigible was still leaning to the right and she had to hold onto the bars of the landing to stay on. They were going in circles that the dirigible was getting closer and closer to the gigantic clock. At first they were at the tip of the clock but now they were facing the face of the clock. Queen Rosaline could see all of the numbers on the clock and was near the hands. Basil refused to be stuck inside. He pulled the left lever but that turned out to be a mistake.

 _CLASH! BANG!_

Basil had no idea what happened but he was clutching something on his hand that he didn't dare let go. He opened his eyes and noticed he was hanging on for dear life of one of the levers. He looked up and noticed that the dirigible crashed into Big Ben. It was just the awning of it that crashed on the clock. He saw the pedals clinging onto some of the metal while he was holding the lever that was above him.

"Help me!" he heard the queen shout.

Basil looked up again and saw Queen Rosaline holding tightly onto the bars. It seemed that she was about to fall. Carefully, Basil climbed up the levers and onto the parachute like metal bars. Those nearly fell. Basil held tightly onto the metal and pulled himself up. His arm muscles tightened a little but he managed to get up.

"HELP ME MR. BASIL! I'M FALLING!"

Basil got up to his feet and again climbed up. He gripped tightly onto the wood panel and came to the boat-like landing. Queen Rosaline was gripping the left handlebars.

"Queen Rosaline, I'm coming!" he yelled. "I'm coming!"

"Hurry, please!"

"I'm coming Rosie!"

Basil came to the landing but had to lean against it to get to the handlebars. Farther down he just heard the metal bars creak dangerously. Being the detective, Basil was able to deduce that the gears were broken and the metal bars were old because he saw the brown mold on them and their creaks after crashing into Big Ben.

"Queen Rosaline!"

"Help me please!"

"I'm coming!"

Basil came to the right bars and looked down. The fat queen wearing her purple and lilac royal robe such as her bejeweled crown had a terrified look while the young detective wearing his inverness had a worried expression.

"Help me!" she cried again.

Basil had to slide down to get her. He was careful enough not to step on her chubby hands.

"Give me your hand." Rosaline was too scared to move her hands. "Come on!"

The bars were also creaking because of their weight against it.

"Come on!"

The Queen shakily moved her left hand and held it out. Basil quickly held it. Still the wind was blowing that they could feel it course through their fur even though they were between the clock and the dirigible.

Basil held up the Queen even though she was heavy. He grunted trying to pull her up. But it was just when he heard the wood groaning and then,

 _CRACK!_

Panels of wood were falling and so was he. Basil didn't let go of the Queen with his right hand and he quickly held onto something on his left hand. He could tell it was the bar of the awning he held onto because he was touching something smooth and cold.

"Don't let go of me!" the queen begged.

"I won't!" Basil promised. "I won't let go."

But she was slipping through his tight grip.

"Hold on!"

"Call for help!" Basil looked at her incredulously but quickly changed his look to apprehensive. There was no way where he could put her. She was the mouse queen of London, the ruler of Mousedom. He had to save her.

He looked around hoping to find some sort of hope; there was the hour hand that was right next to them; where he was slashed upon his face, arm, and back.

Basil held tightly onto the metal bar and pulled up but again it was creaking. He looked up and noticed the indent of the metal. The wind was still whipping through the opening and the metal looked like it was about to break such as the wood. It was only up to Basil to save the day.

He wasn't exactly a strong mouse but he was able to pull up and put his arm over the metal while he held tightly onto the queen's hand. Next to him was the landing of the dirigible. If he could put her on the bars, he'd be able to turn the dirigible and they'd be able to land easily. There was a way to do so.

"Ugh!" he groaned while lifting himself up and set his feet on the other side of the bars. "Put your feet on the metal, Rosie!"

The queen didn't mind Basil calling her Rosie; that used to be her own nickname when she was just a young mouse pup; she just wasn't used to listening to commands from other mice. But she had to rely on Basil of Baker Street if she was going to survive. She held onto his other hand with both her hands and had his assistance to pull herself up. Queen Rosaline obeyed him and stood on the metal bars.

"Now hold on," said Basil. "I've got this."

"You truly are the greatest mouse detective," the queen complimented. Basil ignored her and climbed onto the metal bars while the queen was safe.

He punched the wood and pulled off some planks on the back of the dirigible and looked inside. Basil had no idea what to do but could easily tell that the tools inside were broken because a couple of the wheel-like gears were fallen to the ground and some small tools were off. But at least the boards were still intact. He might have some luck to upturn the dirigible. He looked back to the queen to get an idea.

Queen Rosaline refused to open her eyes. They were so high, the wind was still stinging their eyes, and they were hardly safe. There was no possible way they would be able to get back to land with the dirigible broken, they were close to the hour hand, and no other landings. Basil and the queen were stuck. But at least Basil knew what to do.

"Your majesty," said Basil when he carefully climbed back to her. "Take my hand. I'll need your help." Rosaline looked back to him skeptically. "Trust me."

The queen gently took his hand and the two of them slowly and cautiously crossed from the metal bars to the landing. Basil told her to hold tight onto the metal bars while he kicked hard onto the metal bars and got the dirigible to lean on the left side. Queen Rosaline was scared to death while she held tight and fell nearly to her death. The dirigible was flat now. Basil again took her hand and she followed him obediently to the landing. Basil was the first to get on and then he helped the queen to get up. That was before the metal bars broke off completely.

"NOO!"

"Rosie!"

Basil was quick enough to grab her hands right after the metal bars collapsed underneath the queen's feet. Rosaline held her two hands onto Basil's right. If only the wind wasn't so strong Basil would be able to keep her up and the queen wouldn't be swaying underneath him.

"Hold on Rosie! Hold on!" Basil can see the queen's tears falling from her eyes such as the metal bars that were falling underneath her.

It wasn't just the metal that was falling, it was now the dirigible. There was vibrating, groaning, and cracking sounds underneath Basil's feet. Everything was falling apart. The wind was still blowing straight to them and now wood was falling all around him. The sounds of cracking wood were everywhere and still Basil refused to let go of the Queen.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Falling, falling, falling. The wind was gushing, the light was gone, he wasn't standing on anything, and he didn't know what happened. All he knew was that he was falling. His eyes were still open that he saw wood nearby and quickly grabbed it. Basil's grip on the queen was still tight and he found himself on a wooden plank by the clock. Still the wind was strong. He could fall off at any second.

"Mr. Basil!"

Basil noticed that the queen was still dangling and more wood was falling. He tried to pull her up but still it was difficult to do so. She was very heavy and his strength was gone. Because of the wind, he let go.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Rosie! Rosie, no! Rosie!"

The sight of the queen flying in the air and falling to the ground, Basil's heart plummeted.

"ROSIE!"

Now he was falling.

" _ROSIE!_ "

Basil tried to find anything to hold onto but all there were was loose wooden planks and clouds.

"ROSIE!"

There was no fat mouse anywhere near him.

"ROSIE!"

Above him he saw the face of Big Ben and the broken dirigible. There was nothing he could to, nothing to save him, there was no hope, the wind was still blowing fiercely, and there was nothing to save the queen.

"ROSIE!"

He could hear screaming but it wasn't from the queen, it was his own screaming, calling out to her.

" _ROSIE!_ "

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know."

"That was a horrible sight! Did you see what happened?"

"No I didn't. I was inside because of the wind storm."

"It was right through my window. Luckily my friend came by to help him."

"But I thought he was going to eat him!"

Basil could tell that the voices came from the inspector and the good doctor but he didn't know what happened or how he got to the hospital in the first place.

"If I was eaten, I would be dead right now." Dr. Dawson and the inspector heard Basil's talk and jumped when they noticed he stood up from the gurney.

Basil could easily tell by now that he was indeed in the hospital. He was on a gurney and had IVs inserted into his arms. Dr. Dawson was standing nearby with the aging inspector. The two of them walked to Basil.

"You okay Basil?" the inspector asked.

"I'm fine," said Basil. "Where's the queen?" Dr. Dawson and the inspector exchanged looks. "Where is she doctor? Where's Queen Rosaline? And how did I get here?"

"Well…" The inspector started fumbling with his fingers. "…my pigeon friend rescued you while you were falling."

"What about the queen? How is she?"

"Um…well…"

"Where is she?!"

"She…"

" _Where is she inspector!?_ "

"You tell her doctor." Dawson was hoping the inspector would tell Basil than him. Basil looked from the inspector to Dawson, fearing the worse.

"Don't tell me any bad news chaps. Tell me where Queen Rosaline remains."

The two men were too nervous to talk but it only angered Basil. He didn't get his answer.

"Is she alive? Is she?! TELL ME!"

Dawson hanged his head and mumbled, "No."

"What?"

"No Basil."

"What do you mean 'no'? Where is she?"

Dawson gulped, "The queen died." Basil gawked at him, hardly believing it. "I'm so sorry."

"She's not dead," said Basil defiantly. "She's not dead!"

"I'm afraid she is Basil," said the inspector calmly.

"No, she's not!" He had to see for himself.

Basil took off the IV tubes and was about to get up but Dawson prevented him.

"Basil, no! Don't!"

"I need evidence doctor!"

"Read the papers then," he heard the inspector say. He threw the newspapers to Basil and Basil took the papers. It read on the front page,

 _Loss of Royalty_

 _Detective and Queen in utter accident, Queen tragically dies_

That was all Basil read. There was also a picture of the demolished dirigible on Big Ben.

He has his proof now, the queen is dead. They're right. Basil wasn't able to save her. If only he could've saved her and not himself, the kingdom would have a ruler. Every mouse would be safe, but no. Basil was so foolish that he couldn't do anything. He could've saved her; he only had to save himself.

During the past three days, Basil hasn't spoken a word. There was a big funeral for Queen Rosaline and every one paid their respects to her; Basil of Baker Street was the only mouse who didn't come. He did see the parade from out of his window but he couldn't bear to be out there. He knew people would come by to talk with him on how come he couldn't save her. They would only contradict him and say he wasn't anyone's hero. He couldn't listen to that now.

Dawson did notice Basil's distant behavior though. Basil always remained in his flat and never talked to anyone. He even refused to take a case and neither eat. Whenever Dawson came to see him, Basil was always on his favorite chair looking melancholy. Dawson came to sit next to him and tried talking with Basil.

"I know how you feel Basil," said Dawson. Basil looked up to him with raised eyebrows. "It's terrible she died. But there is good news though, the queen had a son who's now the king, even though he's very young. Everyone is calling him the next King Arthur. But you've got to let it go. It's very unfortunate what happened but you're still the hero."

Basil hanged his head and looked at the fire with his hands on his head.

"I'm no hero Dawson."

Dawson looked to Basil relieved to hear him talk. Basil was now looking at him distraughtly. His eyes were so blank and he didn't have any muscles on his face to grin, just to breathe. Dawson has never seen Basil like that before.

"You want to know the last thing I said to her? 'Hold on'. But what's there to hold onto? I could've saved her Dawson. I could've saved her. If only the wind wasn't so strong, she'd still be alive now. It's my fault I agreed to work the darn dirigible. If I wasn't there, this wouldn't have happened. I could've saved her."

"It's not your fault Basil! It's nobody's fault!"

"You weren't there Dawson! The stupid thing was falling apart and I couldn't get it to turn! I could've saved her! Everyone thinks I'm the hero but I'm not! I'm no hero Dawson! I'm nothing!"

"You're not nothing Basil! You're the detective! You've saved lives before! You saved her before!"

"And now I couldn't."

"You're the great mouse detective!"

"I'm quitting."

"You what?"

"That's right Dawson. I quit. I'm done. I'm done solving crimes. I'm retiring. There is nothing out there for me and now I believe my profession is a violinist."

There was nothing for Dawson to talk Basil out of retirement. Basil seemed adamant about his violin skills. That could probably help him to get out of this depressed state.

Before he knew it, Dawson saw Basil at concerts as the violinist than him solving crimes. He wasn't the Basil that Dawson always knew. Basil changed. He wasn't sure if he liked it but if it made Basil happy, that made Dawson happy. They let it be.


End file.
